To DIY or Not to DIY? That is the question.

Any time a project pops up around the house, my husband and I have to decide whether or not we want to do it ourselves. We’re handy-type people and can handle pretty much anything that needs to be done. Sometimes, though, it’s just better to hire out.

When we bought our home it had dark brown ceilings and café au lait brown walls, doors, and trim throughout. I prefer a soft white on all of those. Now, painting isn’t terribly difficult and I don’t mind doing it, but that was going to be a big project (especially since the paint was oil-based and I wanted it covered with latex paint).

So, spend the money to hire a pro or save my hard-earned cash and get busy painting? I chose to hire it out. Given how long it took three guys to prime and paint everything, I’m so glad I did! My time was better spent working on my clients’ homes than sweating to the oldies with a paint roller.

When it came to changing out the locks and swapping out some boards on our porch steps, we chose to DIY. I think we spent an hour—maybe 2—on all of that together. It would have taken longer to schedule someone to come out than it did to just go ahead and take care of it. Definitely a win in my book. (Power washing and staining the porch and deck? We may just have a pro do it.)

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What’s the deciding factor in all of this? For us, it’s a combination of the cost and frustration factors. It’s also the realization that being stubborn and insisting that we conquer every project ourselves is just silly. Yes, we know that we can. No, that doesn’t necessarily mean we should.

What about you? How do you decide which things to tackle yourself and which to leave to the professionals?